Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
275553072
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2013, Form 990-N 2011
Location
Deerfield Beach, FL, USA
Phone
9544284440
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Music

Reported finances

Revenue
$174,417
Expenses
$239,617
Assets
$137,457
Liabilities
$15,235

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SHAWN GONZALEZ (President)

People named in this filing

  • IRA GOLDBERG (BOARD MEMBER)
  • DANIELLE FISHMAN (BOARD MEMBER)
  • SHAWN GONZALEZ (President)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation (KTBA) is dedicated to offsetting the loss of music education programming due to budget cuts across America. We strive to pass the torch on to the next generation by empowering them to manifest their talents within the arts community and using music as an outlet to exercise creativity in the entertainment workforce. As of Dec 2022, KTBA has supported over 585 schools and reached 89,000 students by providing new instruments, sheet music, supplies, and professional development tools for music teachers. KTBA supports music educators who give their students a positive and rewarding experience in the arts. As KTBA promotes the advancement of STEM to STEAM curricula in schools, KTBA acknowledges the inherent resistance from dated education administrations and diminishing arts and music programming budgets. Each quarter, KTBA assess its goals and measures allowing the staging the opportunity to improve and adjust its procedures accordingly. KTBA makes a week

What it reported doing in 2024

Keeping the blues alive foundation has partnered with global lighthouse studios (formerly, inspire citizens) in order to highlight the rich culture of blues history in schools by connecting qualified teachers and students with fun, student-led activities through a virtual learning setting. These activities will include podcasts, song recordings, lyric writing, tiny desk/classroom concerts, and a customized curriculum for each cohort. The program consists of a minimum of four (4) classroom sessions per partner school per semester. Sessions include a $1,000 stipend to be used to purchase instruments required for the program. The programs mission is to inspire & empower students to capture the diverse sounds, stories, histories & performances highlighting the powerful influence of the blues on communities around the world.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 74% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 47
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 58.5%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 42.3%; rating input score 42
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -37.4%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.57; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.3% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.7% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 58.5% of revenue deployed · 42.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $101K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 23 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 58/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 42/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 27/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 25/100.